Ex-Beatles Help Ringo Make Record (1981)

 Ex-Beatles Help Ringo Make Record

By Vernon Scott

United Press International

October 31, 1981

    Ringo Starr looked Liverpool pale in his suite at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, where he and his wife, actress Barbara Bach, were registered as Mr. and Mrs. Richard Starkey (his real name.) He sported two earrings in his left ear, one a red star, the other a dangling heart that might have been a ruby. He wore several gold finger rings. 

    At 41, Ringo appears to have made the transition from Beatle to individual recording star more easily than reclusive George Harrison or embattled Paul McCartney. He and Barbara were relaxed despite the onerous task of flying to Hollywood from their new home in England to plug Ringo's eighth solo album, Stop and Smell the Roses. 

    His new disc departs from past triumphs. Instead of a single producer, there are five producers for this album, including Harrison and McCartney. "I thought five producers would make things more interesting," said Ringo in his thick Liverpudlian accent, giving his bride a deft hug. "George produced my single from the album. 'I Wrack My Brain,' and sang backup vocals with me and played guitar. Paul produced three of the tracks: 'Private Property,' 'Sure, To Fall,' and 'Attention.' He also sang backup and played the bass and piano, but it wasn't like old times. It couldn't be. 

    "I was on the move when I recorded this album. Parts of it were done in London, New York, Nice, and in the Caribbean; the three of us didn't work together at one time."

     Ringo is weary of being asked about his Beatles days. He has fond memories, of course, but it has been 11 years since the most popular rock group in history disbanded, and he must contend with the future. Happily, his earnings for the past decade have been as great as his Beatle days. Ringo has more money than he will ever be able to spend.

     For the past two years, except for time out to star in Caveman, where he met Barbara, Ringo has been at loose ends. He has wandered around the world, mostly in Europe, not working a lick. "Actually, I've been popping all around the world for the past six or seven years. I thought I'd take some time off, and it just got extended. I had three homes, including one here in Hollywood, but until this year, my residence was in Monte Carlo. I was really just wandering, stopping here and there to see places that interested me, dropping in at museums, sightseeing, visiting friends in life.

     "I spent a few weeks in London and a few in Hollywood, and then moved on. I spent some time in Amsterdam, moving around, meeting new people. I never really got to see anything when I was traveling with the Beatles. We had to spend our time in hotel rooms when we weren't performing. It's different traveling alone than it was with the group. There is no advance publicity, no grand arrivals, and people don't bother me. They are friendly when they recognize me. I've never encountered hostility anywhere in the world. If anything, people seem to feel affectionate toward me."

     Still, security measures surrounding Ringo are tight. The fact that John Lennon's tragic death has forced the remaining three Beatles to take enormous security precautions wherever they travel. Ringo is probably safer in England than any place else, which may account for his returning to his native land as a present-time tax-paying resident. 

    "Now that Margaret Thatcher has reduced the income tax to 50%, like it is here in the States, it is much easier for us. We still don't have the luxury of as many deductions as they give you in this country, however.

     "Once Barbara and I were married, I decided it was time to settle down. We bought a home in Ascot, about 40 miles from London, so we could spend more time together as a family." Ringo is the father of Zak, 16; Jason, 14; and Lee, 10, all of whom live with their mother, his first wife. Barbara's daughter Francesca, 13, and son Johnny, 9, live with her and Ringo on their recently purchased estate. "It's good for us all around," said Ringo.  

"My children spend the weekends with us, and the kids get on very well. They all have their own bedrooms. You may say we have quite a large cottage in the country. We have a complete professional 24-track sound recording studio on the property, so that I can cut my next album right at home. There's even a building that will house an orchestra." Barbara has influenced her husband to return to work, write songs, and start the new album, his first in two years.